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Saturday, April 30, 2016

In 2011, I had the pleasure of interviewing mystery author Wayne Zurl. Retiring from police business has given him a unique voice for his Sam Jenkins mystery series. Being hired by the TV show TOUR OF DUTY in the 1980s only added to his writing talent.

Friday, April 29, 2016

I briefly mentioned Linda Yezak as an editor in my letter "E" post earlier this month. However, she is also a talented author.

A number of years ago, my youngest daughter was in the hospital again after numerous visits there and medications. I was extremely tired, frustrated, and feeling abandoned by God. I bought a copy of her book Give the Lady a Ride. Through the course of reading this tale my spirits were lifted. I was reminded of a beautiful Truth and Gift from God. And I thank Yezak for serving as an ambassador for Christ through her writing.

If you ever have the chance to read one of her books, hire her as an editor, or speak with her at a conference - take it! Here is a portion of an interview with her from several years ago:

When
working on a manuscript do you complete an outline first or just
start writing? I always just start writing, but after a
few chapters, I begin sketching out a loose outline–which makes me a Hybrid in
the SOTP/Outline debate. I’m not an outliner, other than what I carry in my
head and jot on various slips of paper, but I do try to keep a structure
template in mind. Larry Brooks’s is my favorite (found in his Story Structure Demystified). It extends
James Scott Bell’s a bit, but Jim’s is great too (Plot and Structure, one of Writers Digest's “Write Great Fiction”
series). I’d never survive Randy Ingermanson’s Snowflake method–far too
in-depth of an outline for me.

What
do you do when you have writer's block? I try writing something
else for a while–anything else. I
have tons of “first scenes” in a computer file waiting for me to develop them
into novels. Often, writer’s block
strikes when something’s not quite right with the manuscript, and your inner
editor won’t let you continue until you fix it. If you can’t get your muse and
your editor to agree on how to fix the problem, you get stymied. Separation
from the WIP usually helps, but to stop writing only makes the problem worse.
The longer you put off writing, the easier it is to simply not do it. So I
don’t recommend not writing, just
write something different for a while.

What
is your writing and editing process like and how do you balance being both an
editor and an author? I’m
a morning person, but since my husband doesn’t go to work until the afternoon,
I’ve learned there’s no point getting too engrossed in anything until he’s out
the door. Generally, I wake up at four, answer my emails and do some networking
and promoting after my Bible study, write whatever blog posts are required,
then wake him up around seven or eight. Once he’s settled into his day, I edit
works for my clients and save my own writing and editing for when he’s gone. I
don’t set much in the line of goals, although I like to hit at least 1500 words
a day. Problem with getting up so early is that I crash pretty early, too.
Around six, I’m tuckered out. I usually drift to the bedroom around seven to read
awhile, then fall asleep by eight or eight-thirty. No one will ever accuse me
of being the life of the party!

Thursday, April 28, 2016

Becoming a successful interviewer is like learning to take an X-ray. You must look beneath the surface to what lies below - to what your subject doesn't know, or want, to share. Your goal is to remain unbiased while discovering the most interesting truth to share with others.Here are some tricks to help you create a clear picture:

Sample a wide selection of current magazines and journals. You are learning what type of interviews and truths interest both you and other readers.

Read online to experience a variety of new storytelling forms - you want to find the style that works for you

Read on topics outside your discipline, such as architecture, astronomy, economics or photography. You are stretching your mind and your abilities.

Read other articles in search of under-developed stories. This helps you decide on what topics or individuals you want to focus.

Research as much as possible about your chosen topic or individual to help you find focus and form questions.

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

New York Times best-selling author Wally Lamb was such a joy to meet. Here is a small portion of that interview:

I understand you have a new book coming out. Can
you tell me about it? I’m working with a new compnay called Metabook for this one. They will
produce my new story, I’ll Take You There,
as an electronic book with audio, video, and some cool other features. Readers
who are familiar with my Christmas novella, Wishin’
and Hopin’, will recognize many of the charactres but whereas that was a
comic story, this one takes a more serious turn. No release date yet, but sometime in 2016.

Have you published anything besides books –
articles, short stories, poetry, etc? Yes, all of the above. My first book wasn’t fiction;
it was a poetry text for high school students called Always Begin Where You Are. I’ve also edited two anthologies of autobiographical essays by my students at
York Prison, Couldn’t Keep It To Myself (2003) and I’ll Fly Away (2007.)

What have you done for promotion, marketing? That’s usually handled by the marketing and publicity people at
the publishing house, but when I have a new book that’s come out, I do
extensive touring, press, interviews, etc. Again, that’s all set up by the
publisher.

Where do you live and work - and do these places
make an appearance in your writing? Rural Northeastern Connecticut is our home base, but my wife and I also
have a small apartment in New York City. Two of our sons live in New Orleans.
All three of these places have been put to use as settings in my work. Several
of my novels are set in a fictional town called Three Rivers, which is based
loosely on my hometown, which was Norwich, Conneecticut.

What are your thoughts on blogging, and other
forms of social media? I don’t blog (no time) but I have two Facebook pages, one personal
and also a “fan” page. I also have a website (wallylamb.net) and a Twitter
account.

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Just as in any other form of writing, feature articles (written after the interview) need effective verbs.

1) Avoid passivity - It's better to make the subject of your sentence do something, rather than let something be done to it. "The owl hooted" is stronger than "An owl's hoot was heard." The first is active, the second passive.

2) Be precise - never settle for the first verb that pops into your mind if there's a better one available. Look for verbs that are closer to your meaning. Don't use "shout" if you really mean "bellow" or "roar" or "shriek". Use your thesaurus and familiarize yourself with synonyms.

3) Use the abstract - "The wind blew through the trees" tells the reader something, but not enough. Was it a soft breeze? Try imagery. "The wind whispered through the trees." Or maybe it was a heavy wind. "The wind thrashed the trees." You are giving the reader clues here.

Remember to be selective with your verb choices. Choose the ones that will create the strongest connection for the reader, without interfering with the story.

Sunday, April 24, 2016

Anyone with a background in journalism has spent an indefinite amount of time studying a stylebook such as the United Press International Stylebook.
Stylebooks are a fact of life for writers in mass media. Newspapers, magazines, advertising agencies, and public relations firms all conform to similar guidelines for copy (text). If you've never studied any of them, they are an agreed upon list or manual of rules to be followed by writers with the ultimate goal of consistency.

In short, it's a set of rules for writers about word usage - common spellings, abbreviations, acronyms, and more.

I mention this today because these manuals offer valuable information for all writers, not just journalists. One of my favorite quotes comes from the United Press International Stylebook. In a description of its purpose, the book defines STYLE as the "intangible ingredient that distinguishes outstanding writing from mediocrity."Have you ever studied UPI or a similar stylebook? What do you think distinguishes outstanding writing from mediocrity?

Saturday, April 23, 2016

Best-selling author Adriana Trigiani
is beloved by millions of readers around the world for her hilarious and
heartwarming portrayal of families. Raised in a small coal-mining town in
Virginia in a big Italian family, she chose her hometown for the setting and
title of her debut novel, the critically acclaimed bestseller Big Stone Gap.

Now, thirteen years and fifteen
books later, Trigiani has directed the movie based on that first book.

Many readers don’t realize she
started as an award-winning playwright, television writer, and documentary
filmmaker long before starting that first book. Those skills began her career
writing for The Cosby Show, A Different
World, and other popular comedies.

Here is a portion of that interview:

How has your life changed since you became a full-time
writer? Well, I’ve been a full-time writer
since 1989. First in television and film, and now in books, with a couple
projects per year in film and television still. I started out writing plays for
the theater, and I have a feeling that someday I will do something in that
arena again. I’m very excited to be working on young adult novels. I love
writing about the journey of women. I never know what subject will pique my
interest. One of the reasons I love living in New York is that I’m exposed to
great stories every day.

Are any of your other books being made into movies? I wrote the screenplay for LUCIA, LUCIA for producer Julie
Durk. I would love to make Rococo into a movie.

Are you a member of any writing or critique
groups, clubs/organizations? I'm in a mother-daughter book club.

What advice do you have for new authors? Be persistent. Be focused. Be yourself.

How many books have you published, and how did you make the
transition to that from screenwriting?
As a playwright, I have found it very natural to write for film and television-
novels, however, are wonderful because I write exactly what I want to write-and
revel in it.

What lesson or tips would you share
with authors trying to get published in today’s market? Write what you like- and then find like-minded people
who want to get in business with you and publish your work.

Friday, April 22, 2016

Scott Eagan - Opened
Greyhaus Literary Agency in 2003 with three goals in mind: to remain a small agency focusing only on Romance and
Women's Fiction, to provide educational opportunities for writers in these
genres while making efforts to enhance those genres, and to assist with
increasing communications between the professional publishing community and the
writers. Being a small agency focused on a small number of genres allows him the
chance to work closer with his writers and keep up with the every-changing
trends in romance and women's fiction. To learn more, check the website: http://www.greyhausagency.com/
and his blog: http://scotteagan.blogspot.com/

Here is a sample of that interview:

What genres do you usually represent and what made you choose those? Greyhaus Literary Agency only accepts traditional print romance and women's
fiction. This was for two reasons. The first is that the romance line makes up
over 55% of the fiction market. In other words, supply and demand. The second
is that I really do enjoy these stories. Both are stories about people. These
are character and relationship stories.

Any tips for authors who want to pitch? Pitch only when your project is 100% ready to go. Treat it like a job interview
and be 100% professional.

What do you think is the most important quality it takes to be a
successful author? Professionalism, a sense of knowing where they stand in the publishing world,
and a desire to learn and grow as a writer.

What do you find to be the hardest lesson for writers to learn or
accept? Rejection, and criticism. Look, you are not going to sell your first book. It
may take time so deal with it. This is a business where overnight success
happens only to a few out there!

Thursday, April 21, 2016

Andy
Ross
– Opened his own agency in 2008, and represents books in a wide range of
subjects including: narrative non-fiction, science, journalism, history,
current events, as well as literary and commercial
fiction, and young adult fiction. For non-fiction he looks for writing
with a strong voice, robust story arc, and tells a big story about culture and
society by authors with the authority to write about their subject. No vampires
or trolls. He is a member of the Association of Author Representatives (AAR).
You can learn more on his website: www.andyrossagency.com
and blog: www.andyrossagency.wordpress.com

Here is a portion of that interview:

What genres do you usually represent and what made you choose those?
WHEN I STARTED OUT AS AN AGENT, I THOUGHT THE BOOKS I WOULD BE WORKING WITH
WOULD BE LIKE THE BOOKS THAT I SOLD IN MY STORE. LOTS OF SCHOLARS AND POLITICAL
TYPES. I HAVE SOME OF THAT. (DANIEL ELLSBERG IS PROBALY MY MOST FAMOUS CLIENT).
BUT I'VE REALLY EXPANDED. THIS YEAR I SOLD AN UPMARKET WOMENS NOVEL, A YA
NOVEL, A MEMOIR BY A WOMAN WHO WAS A PAPERAZZI, AND A SERIOUS BOOK ABOUT THE
UNCERTAINLY OF MEDICAL STATISTICS. I NEVER GET BORED IN MY JOB!

How does your family affect or influence you as
an agent? MY WIFE WAS MY COMPETITOR. SHE MANAGED THE BOOKSTORE DOWN THE STREET.
SHE STILL WORKS AT A BOOKSTORE, BOOK PASSAGE IN MARIN COUNTY, ONE OF THE
WORLD'S GREAT STORES.

What are your query pet peeves? WHEN YOU WRITE A QUERY, TRY TO BE
BUSINESS-LIKE. DON'T OVERSELL YOURSELF. AGENTS DON'T WANT TO WORK WITH AUTHORS
WHO HAVE DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR.

If you had to pinpoint one key that differentiates good writing
from the bad, what would it be? I COULD TALK ABOUT THE ELEMENTS OF CRAFT, POINT
OF VIEW, MANAGING BACKSTORY, DIALOGUE. ALL THAT IS IMPORTANT. BUT AFTER YOU
HAVE MASTERED THOSE, YOU NEED TO GET TO THE NEXT LEVEL. THAT CAN'T BE TAUGHT.
IT CAN'T EVEN BE DESCRIBED. BUT I KNOW IT WHEN I SEE IT.

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

In 1998 I worked for my college newspaper, and had
the opportunity to interview award-winning actor, director, and writer L.Q.
Jones.

As a Beaumont, Texas college student in the 1940s,
he was studying pre-law before he headed to the West Coast. There, he began a
career in film and television, now spanning more than five decades.

Born Justice Ellis McQueen, he adopted the name of
his character – L.Q. Jones - in his first film which “Battle Cry”.

Jones has appeared in more than 90 movies on the big
screen, more than 30 television movies, and more than 40 television shows,
making him one of the most widely sought-after character actors in Hollywood.

While he is probably most recognized for his roles
in Casino, The Mask of Zorro, The Wild
Bunch, and A Prairie Home Companion, Jones
has appeared in war movies, westerns, musicals, action films, dramas, and more.
He even sang with Elvis in Love Me Tender
and Flaming Star.

Jones has earned three Emmy nominations and won a Hugo
for Best Science Fiction Film for A Boy
and His Dog, which Jones wrote, produced, and directed.

I absolutely loved talking with him – he has a
strong personality that commands attention. One of the things I remember most
about that interview though was how he kept calling me “Tiger”. He was
extremely good-natured, willing to answer questions, and loved by many of the
students attending Lamar University during his visit that year.

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Beth Phelan - joined the Bent Agency in
September 2013. She is actively building her client list and is looking for
complex fiction that pulls you in immediately, characters that you wish were
your real friends, and plot lines that drag you away from reality to a world
you never want to leave. Her favorite stories are told with humor and sprinkled
with surprises. Beth is looking for YA and MG fiction, and adult commercial and
literary fiction, suspense/thriller/mystery, cookbooks and humor/pop culture.
She does not represent sports books, history, reference books, poetry,
screenplays, or self-help. For more info: http://www.thebentagency.com/agent_beth_phelan.php

Here is a sample of that interview:

What genres do you
usually represent and what made you choose those? I represent YA, MG, and
some adult fiction (thrillers, romance, literary and general) as well. I want
to represent what I like to read, so these came naturally.

What would be a dream
client? Someone professional,
collaborative, courteous and humble.

What are your query pet
peeves? Mass emails, especially
when I can see the email address of every other agent who’s received it. I’m
also never happy to see an email that doesn’t have an actual query letter.

If you had to pinpoint
one key that differentiates good writing from the bad, what would it be? Less is more. I think
good writing should give you just what you need to paint the picture—nothing
more. Too much detail can end up being a distraction. I like to sink into a
story and forget that I’m reading at all.

What do you think is
the most important quality it takes to be a successful author? Perseverance. It’s not an
easy endeavor

Monday, April 18, 2016

In 1968, Tim O'Brien was drafted into the Army at
the age of 21. In February 1969, he arrived in Vietnam. After returning home, O'Brien
became a reporter for The Washington Post
and in 1973, he published his debut novel IfI Die in a Combat Zone,
Box Me Up and Ship Me Home.

This American novelist continued depictions of the
Vietnam War era both through fiction and nonfiction. His books include the
National Book Award-winning "Going After Cacciato" (1978), the
Pulitzer Prize finalist "The Things They Carried" (1990), his more recent
novel, "July, July" (2002).

His books appear on numerous high school and college
reading lists. Critics have hailed him as the author of rare works that have
helped to define Vietnam and the experiences of war.

Tim O’Brien continues his contributions to military
personnel, their families, and students through his writing and in traveling to
speak with them when possible.

Here is a portion of that 2013 interview:

How
many of your books have been related to Vietnam? Three
were related directly, but all of them contain something about that era of a
country divided, riots in the street, great contention among families, the
whole musical revolution, women’s revolution, and civil rights revolution… an
era.

You
wrote some of these works 10 and even 20 years after your own experience. Did
it take you that long to deal with what you saw before you could share? I
think distance and objectivity was necessary, in my case, to write a book that
would last. I needed to distance myself, to allow my imagination to reorganize
and reinterpret material that was so close to me that it was difficult to
separate what would be important for the story, what a reader would need and
what they would not. In the end, stories have to be about squeezing the heart.

How
do you think your books are beneficial to people who had no personal or “hands
on experience” such as students in school today who are reading one of your
works? I always try to tell a good story. A book is a
unified thing, a work of art, shape, harmony, pace, and it’s entertaining, with
swells of emotion, happiness, laughter, sadness, meaningfulness. That’s how
life is. It’s not all one thing, and that means finding the right proportions
for a book and trying to make it feel unified like a single artistic whole such
as with a finished painting. By telling a story, you have this magical thing
that happens. Some readers may be lying in bed at night, and the story just grips
them. It’s not just something foreign or distant, removed from their experience.
It becomes very personal, almost like dreaming. The real magic in getting
someone to identify with something as foreign as a war might be is through a
story of human beings, idiosyncratic, different voices struggling with a common
problem like how to survive.

What
do you hope is the most important quality or lesson that people take from your
work? Story. It’s one thing to watch a newscast, or read a
newspaper or a magazine article, where things are fairly abstract. In fact, the
word war itself has a kind of abstraction to it that conjures up visions of bombs
and bullets and so on. My goal is to try to capture the heart, stomach, and
back of the throat readers who can participate in the story. They are not just
observing it. The comments that mean the most to me are basically when people
tell my own story back to me. That means they remembered it, it’s become part
of who they are, and the detail of recollections is often astonishing. They often
remember details I’ve forgotten. That’s what matters to me in the end. Whether
it’s some high school kid, housewife, or even an executive in New York lying in
bed at night, they are all in my story and if they finish, that means they
liked it enough to keep going.

Where
is the best place for people to find out more about you? I
would think the library or internet, is the easiest place to learn more. I
don’t have a website. A woman runs one on me, but I don’t think it’s very up to
date. Every now and then she writes me and asks questions. But, someone told me
that if you google my name and write novel, you’ll get ten thousand things you
can look up. I would never do that. It would be too embarrassing. It’s like listening
to yourself on a tape. It gives me the willies.

Saturday, April 16, 2016

Amy
Newmark was a writer, speaker, Wall Street analyst and business executive in
the worlds of finance and telecommunications for more than 30 years. Today she
is publisher, editor-in-chief and coauthor of the Chicken Soup for the Soul
book series. Since 2008, when Amy, her husband, and an investor group bought
the company from its founders, Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, she has
published more than 100 new books, doubling the number of Chicken Soup for the Soul titles in print today.

As
publisher, Amy is credited with revitalizing the Chicken Soup for the Soul
brand. She redesigned the look of the book covers and interiors, and changed
the format of the title so that the books can cover topics of interest to
today’s readers. This has led to national bestsellers such as Chicken Soup for the Soul: Think Positive,
Chicken Soup for the Soul: Messages from
Heaven, and Chicken Soup for the
Soul: Angels Among Us. The number of stories submitted for Chicken Soup for
the Soul books has soared as a result, with most books attracting four or five
thousand submissions for only 101 slots.

By
compiling inspirational and aspirational true stories curated from ordinary
people who have had extraordinary experiences, Amy has kept the 21-year-old
Chicken Soup for the Soul brand fresh and relevant, and still part of the
social zeitgeist. Reading stories from each book has also made a difference in
her own life. “I’ve learned how to have better personal relationships, how to
focus on what's important, how to stay thin and fit, how to look for the
positive in every situation, and how to put in perspective the daily ups and
downs of life,” Amy says.

Amy
graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University where she majored in
Portuguese and minored in French. During her junior and senior years, she
researched and wrote a thesis about popular, spoken-word poetry in Brazil,
which involved living in Brazil for several months, traveling throughout its
impoverished northeast region, and meeting with poets and writers to collect
their stories. She is delighted to have come full circle in her writing
career—from collecting poetry “from the people” in Brazil as a 20-year-old to,
three decades later, collecting stories and poems “from the people” for Chicken
Soup for the Soul.

She
has a national syndicated newspaper column and is a frequent radio guest,
passing along the real-life lessons and useful tips she has picked up from
reading and editing thousands of Chicken Soup for the Soul stories.

Her story Maverick with a Mission will be available for purchase in October. You can view the announcement on Amazon here.

Here is a portion of the interview:

How many titles do you publish per year? It varies but it’s never less than one a month on average.
Some years we publish a lot more. And then I complain I have no life, but of
course I’m the one who came up with all those titles!

How many submissions do you receive per book? We average a few thousand submissions for each book,
sometimes even five or six thousand! We read every submission.

Who comes up with the themes? We get together a few times a year and talk about what’s
going on out there in the world, what people are talking about, what sub-themes
we see in the stories we are reading for our current topics, and then we come
up with our new topics for the coming year. Most of the books are my
inventions, ultimately, along with the titles.

I noticed editors or partnerships change for each title,
how does this work? I have started
inviting experts in different fields to co-host books with me, either as
foreword writers or as coauthors. When they are coauthors, we work together on
choosing the final 101 stories and develop the themes of the book together.

Friday, April 15, 2016

Jill Marr is an acquiring
agent at the Sandra Dijkstra Literary
Agency with a B.A. in English from San Diego State University. She is
interested in commercial fiction, with emphasis on mysteries, thrillers, horror,
and historical. Jill is also looking for nonfiction by authors getting their
work published regularly in magazines, who have a realistic sense of the market,
and their audience. Self-help, inspirational, cookbooks, memoir, health &
nutrition, pop culture, humor and music welcome. She isnotinterested in:
YA, children's, sci-fi, romance or unicorns. For more information: http://www.dijkstraagency.com/meet-the-agents.html#jill-marr

Here is a portion of that interview:

What genres do you usually represent and what made you choose those? Agents
are lucky because we typically represent genres that we love to read. I love
mysteries and thrillers so I was immediately able to dive into that genre. I am
a good reader of it and can advice, editorially on it well. Here’s a bit
more on what I take from my mini-bio: "Jill is interested in commercial and book club fiction, with an emphasis on
mysteries and thrillers, women’s fiction and historical. She is also looking
for non-fiction across the board by authors with a fresh, new message and a
solid platform."What are your query pet peeves? If I had to
narrow it down to one pet peeve, this week it would be the “canned” query.
Lately I’ve been receiving query letters from what appears to be a company that
pops an author’s project into their cookie cutter template. It screams “I’m not
creative,” which is not a good thing to scream when you are basically applying
for a job that demands creativity.If you had to pinpoint one key that
differentiates good writing from the bad, what would it be? I am a sucker for a
good voice in writing, something that stands out on the page. What lesson or tips would you share with authors trying to get published in
today’s market? Join a writer’s group and don’t work in a vacuum. You are doing
something very wrong if an agent is the first person to read your book. And
don’t take your family’s word for it—they love you and they have to live with
you. Of course they’re going to tell you your book is awesome.

Thursday, April 14, 2016

Elizabeth Ludwig is an award-winning author whose work has been
featured on Novel Journey, the Christian Authors Network, and The Christian
Pulse. Her first novel, Where the Truth Lies, which she
co-authored with Janelle Mowery, earned her the 2008 IWA Writer of the Year
honors. This book was followed in 2009 by “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” part of
a Christmas anthology collection called Christmas Homecoming,
also from Barbour Publishing.

In 2010, her first full-length historical novel Love Finds
You in Calico, California earned Four Stars from the Romantic Times.
Books two and three of Elizabeth’s mystery series, Died in the Wool
(Barbour Publishing) and Inn Plain Sight (Spyglass Lane),
respectively, released in 2011.

In 2012 Elizabeth’s newest historical series from Bethany House
Publishers became available. No Safe Harbor, the first book in
the Edge of Freedom Series, released in October, with two more books
following: Dark Road Home August 2013
and the third of the series in 2014.

Elizabeth is an accomplished speaker and teacher, and often
attends conferences and seminars, where she lectures on editing for fiction
writers, crafting effective novel proposals, and conducting successful
editor/agent interviews. Her popular literary blog, The Borrowed Book,
enjoyed a wide readership in its first full year, with more than 17,000
visitors in 2011. Along with her husband and two children, Elizabeth makes her
home in the great state of Texas.

Here is a small portion of that interview:

What do you like most about writing and being a published
author? I still get a thrill every time my publisher
sends me a new book cover or when the postman drops off a carton of new books.
I’m amazed sometimes to think that something that sprang from my imagination is
bringing enjoyment to someone else! I love that.

What do you like least? More than
anything else, writing—and promoting my writing—is work! I wish I didn’t have
to think about sales numbers or marketing plans, but you know what? It’s all
part of the business.

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Jessica
Kirkland joined The Blythe Daniel Agency, Inc. as Marketing and Literary Agent in
2012, where she is the primary fiction acquisition agent. Jessica has a
Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communications, and a minor in Marketing, which has helped
lead to the successful sales and positioning of her authors. Jessica writes on
her own website www.iliveloud.net
where she encourages people to make their moments count. Jessica is acquiring and
representing adult fiction, young adult fiction, and somenon-fiction. Find out more at: http://www.theblythedanielagency.com/jessica-kirckland-joins-as-marketing-literary-agent/

Here is a sample of that interview:

.I see you represent both adult and young
adult fiction, but one of your passions is helping children form a relationship
with Jesus. Would you ever considerrepresenting a children’s author?I represent non-fiction and fiction (both YA and
adult). I do represent Middle grade, but no picture books at this
time. Children's books are some of my favorite things to write, but
unfortunately, the market doesn't want them right now. For the
moment, I will continue to write my own, but to sign a children's
author now is not a wise professional investment.

I noticed you blog
on www.iliveloud.net.
Have you ever written or do you plan to write in other formats?Glad that you asked. I do enjoy
blogging— I write letters to the broken on my blog as well as ways to
Live Loud (or make life count). It's fun. I am also working on a YA
novel as well as a non-fiction book that will go in an e-book bundle this
spring. Of course I have the two book apps, The Sounds of Night and The Lonely Stable that are
available in the app store for children ages 2-7. I always have
something cooking.

What are your query
pet peeves?I only have one pet peeve and it has
nothing to do with queries. I can't stand hearing authors
talk about "dating agents." Or authors that act like they are
throwing the agent a bone if we end up working with them. I can
spot arrogance a mile away and I will shut down in 2 seconds in a
pitch like that. We work so hard for our clients, and any talk that cheapens
the agent/author relationship is annoying.

Any tips for authors who want to pitch?Pitching is simply a conversation. Know your story and be
able to tell my why you are unique and why you think I am a fit for
you and vice-versa. Authors who do their homework are the ones who stand
out.

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Jerry
Craven is
the Press Director and editor for the Lamar
University Press in Beaumont, Texas. He is also the author of more than
twenty-five books, Press Director of Ink
Brush Press, and Editor-in-Chief of Amarillo
Bay. In addition to those responsibilities, he is a member of the writing
faculty at Lamar University and a member ofThe Texas Institute of
Letters, SFWA,
TACWT, and CCTE.
You can learn more at: http://www.jerrycraven.com/

Here is a portion of that interview:

With all of the demands on your time as
a writer, instructor, editor, and Press Director, why did you decide to help
form a University Press? Setting
up a press for Lamar University was Dr. Jim Sanderson’s idea. He observed the
success of my own small literary Ink
Brush Press, and he suggested I take that press to Lamar University. But I
wanted to keep Ink Brush, so my counter suggestion was for me to set up a press
at Lamar based on the IBP model, that
is, for the Lamar press to make use of all the latest in technology for book
production and distribution. We knew it would be a hard sell to university
administrators given the recent closings of university presses because of the
expense of maintaining them and the fact that Lamar was at the time in the
midst of a financial crisis. Still, we figured we had in Ink Brush Press good evidence for our being able to open a press
that would promote the university by publishing good books without being a
drain on resources. Dr. Steve Zani, then Head of the English Department, liked
the proposal that Dr Sanderson and I came up with, and he, Sanderson, and I
went to the dean of Arts and Sciences, Dr. Brenda Nichols. She liked our idea
for a university press, made some useful suggestions for making our proposal
more effective, and suggested we take it to the university provost, Dr. Steve
Doblin. He was also enthused about the idea for a new kind of press. One of the
things he said was, “Even in times of financial exigency, the university still
needs to move forward, and this press would be such a move and would cost very
little.” Within weeks he had approved the project, and I began soliciting
manuscripts.

What are some of the advantages of publishing with a UP instead of
traditional or self publishing? If by “traditional” you mean the large East coast publishers,
then the answer is simple: most such presses are effectively closed to literary
books, for they do not sell. Self publishing is certainly an option for many
writers, but self-published books strike many readers as books produced by
vanity presses. There is a significant difference between self publishing and
publishing with a vanity press. A vanity press is one that will publish any
book regardless of quality if the author is willing to pay for getting into
print. But many readers think of self publishing as a route for amateur writers
to get into print without having anyone vetting the quality of their books.
University presses do serve as a means to winnow out the poorly written
self-published books that these days appear in such huge numbers in bookstores
such as Amazon, so many readers are much more likely to pick up books from
university press over self-published books. Most writers who care about
their reputations as literary artists will avoid both self publishing and
publishing through vanity presses.

I understand LUP only accepts submissions in June. Why? The editorial staff of Lamar University is made
up of volunteers, and most of them are university professors in various Texas
universities; some are Lamar graduate students. June is the least busy time for
many university professors, so I chose that month. Experience with Ink Brush Press told me that if the
press had a year-round open submissions policy, we would get so many
manuscripts from around the country that we would be doing little other than
evaluating submissions. Thus, the one-month open window. We get most of our
submissions from the members of the editorial staff recommending manuscripts
they have read, and now that we have some 30 books out, some of our writers now
recommend manuscripts that we examine for publication.

What type of manuscripts will LUP consider? We are interested in well-written books in many
genres. We like fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, history, memoirs, and we
are open to other kinds of books. Our catalog of books includes so many books
of creative writing–fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction—that our emerging
reputation is that we are a literary press, which is quite unusual among
university presses. Most will either publish none of the creative writing
genres or will limit such publication to only a few books yearly.

Sunday, April 10, 2016

For the last 10 days I've been sharing tips on interviewing, and reminiscing about favorite interview subjects. I've even mentioned how some of them have inspired me personally. One such instance led me to write a western short story that was originally published by Rope and Wire. You can now download that story here.

If you are planning to conduct your own interview, here are some thoughts to consider:

There are two basic types of interviews:
1) Formal - a planned/scheduled time with prepared questions.
2) Informal - thought questions - spur of the moment.

Arrangements
1) Notepad - paper is usually best because electronics can malfunction.
2) Recorder - get their permission to record at the beginning of the recording - it's just good manners.
3) Photography - have a way to take a picture of your subject or arrange to get one from them.

When you interview someone, please be aware of your rapport and dress - having conversations with sources is the key to most stories.
1) Your ability to make people comfortable with you is the difference between mediocre reporting/research and good story telling.
2) It may be something as trifling as your appearance that determines whether you will have a successful interview.
a) Be on time.
b) Be prepared.
c) Be friendly.
d) Be open-minded.
e) Take notes - assume the recorder isn't working.
f) Dress appropriately.
g) Look your subject in the eye.
h) Leave the door open for future visits - "May I contact you again?"
i) Listen with a "grain of salt" - not all interviewees are honest or unbiased.
j) Verify/Verify/Verify

After the interview:
1) Organize your notes immediately - especially if you used shorthand. Fill in any blanks while the information is fresh in your mind.
2) Check accuracy - spelling, dates, statistics, and quotes.

Saturday, April 9, 2016

Many of us struggle to
find that balance of job, family and writing time. Author Jody Hedlund is no
different, unless you realize the depth of her commitment to all three endeavors.
The award-winning historical
romance novelist is a stay-at-home mother who home schools all five of her
children while maintaining a full time writing career.

She now writes for both adult and YA. Her fifteenth book will release in September 2016.

Here is a small portion of that interview:

As a homeschooling mom
of five children, how do you manage to find time to write? It’s definitely not easy to manage my busy household
of five children and squeeze in time for writing. But fortunately my husband is
very helpful and pitches in to help wherever possible. We really work together
as a team to support each other in our pursuits and work. For example, when
he's home he often takes over the household responsibilities, runs kids to
activities, and pitches in with homeschooling so that I can have concentrated
blocks of time to write. We've also simplified our home life and outside
commitments as much as possible. We expect our children to shoulder
responsibilities around the home. In fact, my three oldest kids are each
responsible for cooking one evening meal a week! And last but certainly not least,
I rely upon my mom for lots of help too. She helps homeschool, cook meals, and
even takes my youngest two children to choir.

What do you think is
the most important quality it takes to be a successful author? One
of the key qualities in becoming a successful author is learning to be an
enthralling and captivating storyteller. Writers can (and should!) work on
improving their techniques—how to write good dialog, how to write tightly, how
to develop their characters, etc. But first and foremost, I think readers are
looking for stories that blow them away. At least as a reader, that’s what I
long for!

What advice do you
have for anyone interested in writing and pursuing publication? Write
a couple of books first and unleash your creativity. Then start reading books
that explain how to write. Study techniques, practice them, and keep writing.
When you begin reaching a level in your writing where you think you’re ready to
start querying, get a critique partner to read your work, vamp up your online
presence, and immerse yourself in the writing industry.

Hedlund also has a great blog which offers loads of advice for aspiring and struggling writers. While she does not post as frequently as she once did, there is still a lot of useful information at: http://www.jodyhedlund.blogspot.com/

Friday, April 8, 2016

Another agent I enjoyed meeting was Rachelle Gardener. Gardner joined Books and Such Literary Agency in January 2012 with twelve years in previous agent and publishing
positions. Rachelle has ghostwritten eight published books. She
represents books for the Christian and the general market, and is
accepting queries for both. Rachelle
is looking for fiction in Women’s, Mystery,
Suspense/Thriller, Family Saga, Historical, Legal, Literary, Mainstream,
Romance, and in nonfiction Memoirs, Home Life, Current Affairs, Health
& Diet, Narrative Nonfiction, Popular Culture, Self-Help, and Women’s
Issues. She does not want devotionals, fantasy,
sci-fi, children’s, or YA. For more details: http://www.rachellegardner.com/Here is a sample of that interview:

I see you
represent books for the Christian market (CBA) as well as for the general
market, and that you are now accepting queries for both adult fiction, and
nonfiction. Would you ever consider representing a children’s author? Children’s publishing is a specialized subset of the
publishing world – there is so much to know that is specific to children’s
books. I prefer to focus on the areas in which I already specialize. I have no
plans to expand that to include kids’ books.

What are your query
pet peeves? I feel like it’s disrespectful and insulting when
writers send a query without having learned the first thing about the craft of
writing or the business of publishing. If you don’t take it seriously, nobody
in publishing will take you seriously.

Any tips for authors
who want to pitch? You have to get some objective feedback on your
project and your pitch before bringing it to publishing professionals. It’s
impossible to be objective about your own work, so you need help in identifying
what makes your book interesting, what’s the hook, what would make someone
interested in hearing more. Every writer thinks their own book is endlessly
fascinating, but they need help in getting someone else as interested as they
are.

Have
you ever advised an author self publish instead of traditional? If so, why?I'm
constantly in discussion with my clients about their projects, and which ones
might be best suited for self-publishing. Many authors these days are doing
both. Sometimes I'll advise they self-pub a project in which their current
publisher isn't interested. Other times they might self-publish a shorter work
that will help them promote an upcoming release. The possible reasons are
endless.

What lesson or tips
would you share with authors trying to get published in today’s market? I wouldn’t recommend “writing to the market” but I
definitely think you need to find where your passion meets the market. Find the
genre or category you want to write in, the one that floats your boat, that
also has some sales potential. As an artist, you can write whatever you want,
no restrictions. But the moment your desire goes beyond simply “writing” and expands to include “selling,” you must think of the market. You’re now straddling
the worlds of art and commerce, and you’d better be comfortable in both.

Thursday, April 7, 2016

Sometimes when we contact a literary agent we find them to be brisk, reserved, and in some unfortunate cases: downright rude. One interview I remember fondly is with Liza Fleissig. I found herto be warm, open, and of good humor.A founding member of the Liza
Royce Agency, she graduated University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of
Business with a BS in Finance, and the Benjamin N. Cadozo School of Law with a
JD. LRA has a clientele of both established authors and writers in the earlier
stages of their development. Although they lean towards suspense/thriller,
commercial woman's fiction and comedy, they are open to anything that speaks to
them. Liza represents children through adult, from
non-fiction to fiction, and everything in between. She says she chooses projects based
on their ability to keep her turning pages.Here is a sampling from that interview:

What
genres do you usually represent and what made you choose those? This is
one of the many ways I am not a traditional agent. I am open to anything
that excites me to turn the page. I represent children through adult,
from non-fiction to fiction, and everything in between, with the common
denominator being that I LOVE them.

Are
you currently accepting submissions? Yes, though since we take a lot of
time to thoroughly vet, we are on a 7-8 week turnaround, and while some can go
faster, there are some that require even more time. I know this is of
little comfort to those sitting on pins and needles waiting to hear, but it
bears mentioning that no one gets a generic email as I always give reasons for
passing.

What
would be a dream client? I already have them. My LRA authors are all
hard working, herculean when it comes to self-promotion and marketing, and
instead of asking what the publisher can do for them, ask what they can do for
themselves. We work as an extended family, and many of my authors
cross-promote each other. I am the luckiest agent I know, and am thankful all
my clients took a chance when I was first starting out.

What
are your query pet peeves? When an author tells me why their book is better
than anything else the world has ever seen. Sure, compare your work to
best-selling authors to show me what shelf I’d find the book on in a store, but
don’t tell me how much better and smarter you are and how the world needs this
book more than anything else. I’m thinking not so much at that
point. And for goodness sake, PLEASE KEEP YOUR BOOK UNDER 100K! Even THAT
is too long! I can’t tell you how many authors tell me that their book is just
too good and every word matters so much that there was no way to pare it down
from 240K words! Really???? Again, I’m thinking not so much.

Any tips for authors who want to pitch? BE HONEST. This
community is VERY small. Also, be brief. If you can’t sum up your
query in a few sentences, odds are you are going to turn off an agent. You
should also give a brief bio, and most importantly, explain what efforts you
plan to undertake in connection with marketing, whether that means you are
working on building up your name/brand with social media, or that you are
willing spend money on an outside publicist. Show me you are proactive and
understand the current market conditions in that you don’t expect to just sit
back after the book comes out.

About Me

Sylvia Ney is a freelance writer and teacher currently serving as a Board Member of both the Texas Gulf Coast Writers and Bayou Writers Group. She has published newspaper and magazine articles, photography, poetry, and short stories. She enjoys encouraging other writers.

Parallels

Followers

Now available in all ebook formats!

Jake Martin stops to rest at Sarah's farm. Her circumstances stir up memories for Jake, and force him to consider the type of life he lives. Can he change his ways or is he permanently broken? - A western short story.

Parallels: Felix Was Here

The connection is everything! Seventeen year-old David Masters has grown up in almost complete isolation, despised by those around him. He is smart, determined, and compassionate. Now, an act of terrorism threatens the lives of millions. Can David help the society who shunned his very existence? Or is all hope for humanity lost? Find out in “WIN”

Insecure Writer's Support Group

Sylvia shares "8 Steps to Creating a Media Kit" in this guide to publishing and beyond.

Reboot Your Life

Sylvia's story "Family of Rejects" can be found inside.

The Searcher

The Southern California Geanological Society published Sylvia's article "Homegrown Love" in the Spring 2014 issue of The Searcher.

Proud to Be: Writing by American Warriors, Vol. II

Sylvia interviews author Tim O'Brien.

Just for Preteens

Read Sylvia's story "Feeding the Soul" in this support group preteens can carry in their backpack!

It's In The Gulf

Look for Sylvia's short story "Forgotten Memories" in this anthology. Proceeds go to support the GTWG and disaster relief funds.

The Times

Sylvia contributed articles and photos on the aftermath of hurricane Ike.

Windows of the Soul

Sylvia's poem "Secret Admirer" appears in this publication by the National Library of Poetry.